Dominican national in Massachusetts facing up to life in prison after 30,000 fentanyl pills, 500 grams of powdered fentanyl seized

BOSTON – A Dominican national admitted guilt in Boston federal court for his central role in a major fentanyl trafficking network.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, Anderson Ernesto Andujar Echavarria, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl; three counts of distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl; one count of distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl and methamphetamine; and one count of possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani set sentencing for April 6, 2026. Andujar was arrested and charged in September 2024 alongside three accomplices: Waner Bernabel Presinal, Carlos Fabal, and Freddy Artemio Guerrero Soto.

The probe, launched in November 2023, pinpointed Andujar as a high-volume dealer supplying tens of thousands of pressed fentanyl tablets, powdered fentanyl, cocaine, and crystal methamphetamine to undercover agents. Bernabel emerged as a key partner in distributing the pills, while Fabal supplied Andujar with fentanyl tablets—Fabal having previously served 67 months in federal prison after a 2007 cocaine conspiracy conviction in Boston, followed by five years of supervised release.

During the arrests, authorities seized 30,000 blue pressed fentanyl pills and 500 grams of powdered fentanyl from Andujar and Guerrero Soto.

All three of Andujar’s co-defendants have pleaded guilty. Fabal and Bernabel each pleaded guilty in September 2025 and October 2025, respectively, and are scheduled to be sentenced in March 2026. Guerrero Soto pleaded guilty in February 2025 and, in May 2025, was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charges of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl and distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl and methamphetamine each provide for a sentence of at least five years up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised and a fine of up to $5 million. The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pohl of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.